News

Six SNHAC teams took part on the , always superb, 3k road relays at Fairlands Lakes . Each team consists of 4 members each running a 3k loop of the park before handing on to the next runner. After the women took home a medal in the county championships last year this time it was the turn of the men's A team of Tommy, George, Aubrey and Isaac to win bronze medals. All 24 SNHAC runners ran great legs and as always a big thank you to Fairlands Valley Spartans for organising the event.

The first match of the SAL season got under way at Peterborough. The small team on paper showed great team spirit and work ethic to claim 4th place, with maximum points for officials. Big thanks to our officials Paul Pickard, Helen Pickard, Sarah Berry, Sally Stevens, Mike Gregory, Jane Taylor, and Bob Whitten. Shannon Rapacchi marked return from injury with wins in A-string PV and shotput, while Isaac Whitten won the men’s A-string 3000m Steeplechase. Elsewhere, Libby Taylor won B-string shotput, Skye Barnett B-string 100mH, and Enid Whitten B-string hammer. In the men’s throws, Ed Turner and Milan Snarskis took a healthy haul of points, with Libby Taylor and Shannon Rapacchi doing the same in the women’s. There were debuts at SAL level for Kamilah Adebayo and Laurena Hawkins in the women’s sprints, while Hugo MacFarlane-Cushing and Rowan Roach competed in the men’s, both taking 3rd in the 100m, the former setting a PB of 11.31 early in the season. Martina Barber competed in the A-string 100m and LJ. Owen Watkins competed in the men’s 5000m, clocking 16:35:51. Team manager Rhys Samuel fought off injury and inexperience to PB in the HJ, thanks to some quick coaching from Norma Harris.

There were no 4x400 relays; however, the ladies 4x100 side consisting of Skye Barnett, Kamilah Adebayo, Laurena Hawkins and Martina Barber claimed 3rd in the 4x100. The men’s 4x100 team of Rowan Roach, Rhys Samuel, Owen Watkins and Nile Odejimi-Riley took 1st place – impressive for a team consisting of one sprinter, one jumper, one 5k runner and one injured person!

The teamwork didn’t end there – there was a big team effort to release the team bus from the coach park at the end of the day! A big thanks to Milan, Hugo, Nile, Paul, and Rhys for their efforts in finally getting the gate open; to everybody on the bus for their support, Jacob Cawthorne (Vivacity) for staying well over 2-hours beyond his shift to co-ordinate assistance, and to our driver Keith for his patience!

Congratulations to Jasmine who ran her first London Marathon yesterday in a time of 4 hours and 4 minutes.

Weeks of continuous rain transformed the final fixture of the Chiltern Cross Country League into a true test of endurance. Despite the waterlogged course and massive puddles, the weather couldn’t dampen the spirits of our athletes. After all, it wouldn't be cross-country without a healthy coating of mud! Perhaps a rename was in order from Stopsley to Slopsley!

Despite the treacherous conditions underfoot, 29 hardy athletes tackled the course with remarkable determination. While the mud claimed a few slips, the majority got round to produce some great performances. That commitment and team spirit—present since race one—ultimately secured a haul of well-deserved medals as the season drew to a close.

Seasons’ Podium Team Results

U13 Boys 2nd

U15 Boys 3rd

U15 Girls 3rd

U17 Men 3rd

U20 Men 3rd

Individual Medalists

Kieran Kealey U13B 2nd

Imogen Dempsey U15G 2nd

Jasmine Searle V35W 3rd

Well done to everyone who competed this season you all contributed to the clubs success as every place counts. There were some outstanding performances and commitment displayed across all age groups. Full results can be seen on the Chiltern League Website.

As the mud dries, most can now look forward to the upcoming track season. We still have a few athletes who will be competing at National and Inter-County events and we wish them the best of luck in their races.

Massive thank you to Adam who did a brilliant job of organising the cross country team this year and to the coaches for all the training and race-day support that makes these results possible.

Photos: Lindsay Cook

The fourth match of the Chiltern Cross Country League saw a strong contingent of 28 athletes travel to Watford’s Cassiobury Park. After the freezing temperatures brought by Storm Goretti, the weather settled, providing ideal racing conditions. The course here is challenging (aren’t they all) with soggy slippy parkland giving way to the gravel paths, testing hills and a punishing uphill finish.
It was a fantastic day of racing, with every athlete leaving it all on the course and supporting their team mates through the mud and hills.
A huge congratulations to our two podium finishers Imogen Dempsey (U15G) who had a strong run to finish in 2nd place and Jude Crossley (U15B) who continued with great form this season to finish in 3rd place.
Other notable top-10 finishes included Samuel Dear (10th SM), Kieran Kealey (4th U13B), Luke Bulois (7th U13B), Hannah Cook (7th U17W), Neve Sayers (9th U15G), and in the U11G Katie Kealey and Flora Hollis, who finished 4th and 6th respectively.
As we head into the final fixture, the club is in a very strong position. The Juniors are currently holding 3rd place overall, with everything to play for in the series finale.
Team standing after 4 races:
SM 8th
U20M 2nd
U17M 3rd
U15B 3rd
U13B 2nd
U11B 12th (mob match)

SW 14th
U17/20W 4th
U15G 3rd
U13G 6th
U11G 5th (mob match)

Full results can be found here.

A massive thank you to our Cross Country Coordinator, Adam, for all his work in organising the team and ensuring everything ran smoothly on the day.
Save the date Saturday 7th February for the final race of the series in Luton. Let's finish the season with a huge turnout especially as it’s so close to home. We hope to see you there!